ASHLAND – The 2013 season comes down to the wire this weekend for the Southern Oregon softball team, as the Raiders host No. 10 Corban on Friday and Northwest Christian on Saturday's Senior Day at University Field.

Friday's contests will be the Raiders' Breast Cancer Awareness day, with a portion of the paid admission for the doubleheader going to the Sister Therese Kohles Fund. The fund is a charitable mammography fund administered by the Leila J. Eisenstein Breast Center at Providence, the region's only Breast Center of Excellence as designated by the American College of Radiology. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and will also have a chance to donate to the fund at the games.

Saturday's festivities will honor the seven seniors on the 2013 squad, as the doubleheader will mark SOU's final home games of the season. The team will host a ceremony between games to recognize seniors Irene Barrantes (Dos Palos, Calif./Dos Palos), Jessica Flores (Corning, Calif./Corning), Kara Kelsey (Middleton, N.J./Middletown North), Lauren Keel (Fullerton, Calif./Rosary), Alyssa Miller (Fairbanks, Alaska/West Valley), Chelsea Talbert (Sacramento, Calif./West Campus) and Stephanie Vandenbusch (Fremont, Calif./American).

Southern Oregon split a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader against arch-rival No. 11 Oregon Tech, and the Raiders enter the final week of the regular season with a 15-20 overall record, 11-11 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The Raiders are currently fifth in the conference standings, as College of Idaho occupies the fourth spot with a 13-11 record. Southern Oregon has two more games remaining than the Coyotes, with a makeup doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday at Northwest Christian to conclude the regular season.

The conference tournament structure changed this year to include the top four teams in the regular season standings, while in previous years only the top three advanced to the postseason. The Raiders will need a strong finish in their final six games – two against the 10th-ranked Warriors and four against the Beacons – to surpass College of Idaho for the fourth and final spot. The double-elimination tournament is scheduled for May 2 and 3, hosted by the regular season conference champion.

“We have a tough week ahead of us,” SOU head coach Kim Fritts said. “We've kind of put the fate in our own hands. We have to come out and play strong and have a good weekend.”

Jessica Flores (Corning, Calif./Corning) has led Southern Oregon with a .354 batting average during conference play, while Sydney White (Clovis, Calif./Clovis West) has been a workhorse from the pitching circle for the Raiders with 79.2 innings pitched. White's inning total is the third-highest in the CCC, while her 59 strikeouts are tied for second.

Corban is one of the top teams in the country and ranks second in the conference in team batting (.309) and pitching (2.46 earned run average) while leading the league with a .975 fielding percentage. Two-time defending Conference Player of the Year and three-time NAIA All-American Stephanie Nippert is in the process of putting the final touches on one of the best offensive careers in NAIA history, batting .427 with 22 home runs, 63 runs batted in, a .579 on base percentage and a 1.060 slugging percentage. Courtney Castronovo has added 10 homers and Rachel Conard has hit eight, while Chelsea Schriber has totaled 14 wins and a 2.10 ERA this season.

The Raiders nearly knocked off the Warriors earlier this season as the Raiders led 3-2 with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Unfortunately for SOU, Nippert was at the plate and hit a walk-off grand slam to claim the win and set the stage for an 8-0 Corban win in the second game of the doubleheader. The Warriors lead the conference with a 17-3 record and boast a 32-10 overall mark this season.

Due to a weather-postponed doubleheader being rescheduled from earlier in the season, the Raiders will conclude the 2013 regular season with home-and-home doubleheaders against Northwest Christian on Saturday in Ashland and Tuesday in Eugene. Northwest Christian ranks eighth in the CCC with a 3-15 record, 5-23 overall.

Through 18 conference games, the Beacons have hit .244 while ranking eighth in the league with a 6.89 earned run average. They opened the conference slate with three wins in their first five games but have since lost their past 15 contests stretching back to March 15. Gabby Stover's .304 batting average leads the team, while Sarah Lawhorn anchors the pitching staff with a 4.16 ERA.

The Raiders have dominated the all-time series against Northwest Christian, with a 37-7 record against the Beacons. Southern Oregon has won nine straight games in the series and has not lost to NCU since the 2010 season. Last year, the Raiders swept the Beacons in all four games by a combined score of 29-9. With the postseason on the line, SOU will be looking to repeat that feat in the next week.